Restaurant Glasgow

Brel is a small Belgian Bar on Ashton Lane, a street that I am quickly becoming accustomed to and falling in love with.

I have enjoyed the majority of the bars I have visited on Ashton Lane so far, the atmosphere in the bars and the lane itself is electric; although it can get incredibly busy in the small bars the variety of people coming and going makes it worth the while. Brel is no exception to this, although, like everywhere else on the lane, it is incredibly small Brel still manages to offer a beautiful interior, complete with conservatory glass area at the back, and brilliant service.

Being a Belgian bar of course they carry an impressive range of Belgian beers and the menu is laden with sausages and frites, all very bistro and delicious when washed down with a Leffe Blonde.

On the day of my visit to Brel, a Saturday, they were hosting 12 hours of back to back live music as part of the West End Festival, so it was absolutely packed to the rafters. This was not a big problem for my group of friends, but I would advise against taking children or large groups of people in, as there are only a handful of tables and the majority of people were standing making it difficult to navigate your way around. However, the live music was brilliant, and even though the weather was miserable, the crowd’s spirits remained high.

I would recommend this Belgian bar to anyone looking for something a little bit different and with a atmosphere as Brel has it in the bucketloads.

You can find the Metropolitan in the very trendy Candleriggs in Merchant City, a converted fruit and veg market that now host stylish bars and restaurants, and is considered one of Glasgow’s many fashionable areas in town.

Given that it is one of their main attractions, I thought it would be cheeky not to have a cocktail, and what a time it took me to decide. Calling the cocktail list large would be an understatement; it is massive, they cover every single cocktail you can imagine with many variations on the classics.

Although, many men may feel cocktails are a girls thing; and with great emphasis upon the cosmopolitan, made famous by Sex and the City, in the menu and with the bar hosting a Cosmo Club every Wednesday it is understandable, but looking through the menu there were many gent friendly cocktails such as the Gimlet, Grand Sidecar, and a new alternative to a classic the Creole Mojito which the boys at our table opted for. Although this may appear like a bad reflection upon the Metropolitan I chose a cocktail not on the menu itself; I requested the barman to make me a French Martini, which funnily enough is never on any menus but on enquiry, if a cocktail maker, or mixologist, is any good then they will know how to whip one up- and boy did the barman at the Metropolitan know how to make one! It was divine!

The cocktails in Metropolitan can be pricey but the mixers and bottled drinks are average price; however, the quality of the cocktails is worth every penny and even if you can only afford one I do recommend visiting the Metropolitan just to treat yourself to one of their delectable cocktails.

Metropolitan Drinks List

Italian
Price of the Pre Theatre Set Menu: £11 per person.

Hidden away on a small street in the fashionable Merchant City area of Glasgow Esca is a very nice Italian restaurant, it is small but the clever use of space and the modern décor make it feel both airy and cosy at the same time.

The pre-theatre menu is somewhat limited, but for £11 a head for two courses including a glass of wine it isn’t too bad. I am not a big soup person but as I don’t like mushrooms, mussels or sardines I was forced through default to have the carrot and coriander soup of the day for my starter which was very flavoursome, although a tad over salted, but it was very fresh and surprisingly didn’t fill me up to much which I always fear when choosing a soup for starters.

I really was in the mood for lasagne but again the limited pre theatre menu left me with little options, I would ordinarily go for the pizza but for the sake of this review I avoided it, and I chose the carbonara instead. I am usually a big fan of carbonara, but I was disappointed by Esca’s offering, it was too creamy and very very rich in flavour making me feel a bit sickly and causing me to leave half a plateful of pasta uneaten. No one had much to say about our individual meals, although the others at the table finished their whole portion so all couldn’t have been that bad. Our wine was accompanied by a free glass of white wine, and followed by a bottle of their house white, which was pleasant enough and was fine enough for the price of it.

Overall, I wouldn’t rate Esca’s food very well; my meal was overly seasoned and too rich in flavour which really can spoil it for me. I will, however, give Esca the benefit of the doubt as this meal was ordered from the small pre-theatre menu and if I had the selection of the full menu I know I would have chose differently. When it comes down to it, however, £11 for two courses and a glass of wine is pretty good value which on many occasions that is all your looking for a meal in a nice atmosphere for a reasonable price.

For the Pre-Theatre Menu priced at £10.95 visit their site on 5pm.

Opening Hours:

Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri & Sat 10:30am - 5pm
Tues 11am - 5pm
Sun 12pm - 5pm

Admission Prices

Adult: £3, Youth £1

The Lighthouse is Scotland’s first museum dedicated to architecture and design, and with it covering six floors they have certainly packed it all in.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, is one of the most distinguished Scottish architects of our time and features heavily throughout the museum including a Charles Rennie Mackintosh interpretation centre, this is apt considering the museum itself is situated within a converted Mackintosh building that was previously the 1892 Herald newspaper office and one of Mackintoshes first ever projects, don’t miss the magnificent tower on the sixth floor which gives spectators breathtaking views of the city.

The museum is an important forum for emerging artists, with many temporary exhibitions showcasing new or unknown talent, and has a dedicated education floor that includes a workshop and computer laboratory.

The museum itself is an eclectic mix of old and new; celebrating Scottish design and providing clear evidence as to why Glasgow is a city of culture. This is definitely a must for any design or architectural enthusiasts; and with a brilliant little café bar situated on level five this museum will provide an excellent way to spend a lazy Sunday away from the bustling shops.

Be sure to check out the shop before leaving… stocking goodies by many designers, including those from within the museum and exhibitions, the museum shop is your number one stop for a unique and design led memory of the Lighthouse.

Italian

Total cost of meal for one (two courses, side order and soft drink): £17.00

Springfield Quay is a leisure park that hosts a bevy of restaurants and entertainment facilities; all your usual suspects are present, Odeon cinema, Mecca Bingo, Frankie and Bennies, Nandos etc… and nestled amongst all the tackiness is Ask. I have never came across an Ask restaurant before, and in the midst of screaming families and commercial restaurants, its sophisticated interiors and quiet atmosphere seemed like heaven.

Ask is not very well signposted to be honest, I initially thought it was just a section of the massive Alea casino building, so if you do want to pay it a visit note that it is beside Nando’s and has a glass front.

The restaurant itself has a modern and sophisticate feel which I found unusual in such as family orientated complex something which must have had something to do with why there were still tables available with the other patrons being mostly groups of ladies or couples, no doubt stopping for a bite to eat before a movie.

The menu is Italian, covering pizzas, pasta and salads; I was quite impressed by the large choice of salads as they are often neglected and I chose the Insallate Pollo Pancetta salad which was topped with pancetta, pan fried chicken, avocado and all the usual salad garnishes. It was very tasty indeed, with lots of toppings but a little sparse on the green side. My friend chose the Vesuvio pizza, and unfortunately for him it was far too hot, admittedly the spicy pepperoni, red chilli and chilli flakes mentioned on the menu should have prepared him for the searing spiciness but I feel perhaps the waiter could have mentioned it when ordering, as he certainly pointed it out when placing it in front of my unsuspecting friend. What was a shame, however, was that the pizza itself was good but the over use of chilli spoilt any enjoyment whatsoever and he ended up leaving half of it.

The table service at Ask was reasonable, we were seated and meals ordered fairly quickly but we did sit with our empty plates for a good 10 minutes, followed by another 15 minutes whilst we waited for someone to take our dessert order. The dessert incidentally had another mixed review; I chose the lemon sorbet which was home made and tasted mouth wateringly good whilst my friend had the chocolate cake which for me tasted dry and looked a bit lifeless to be honest.

I think out of everything Springfield Quay has to offer foodwise Ask may be your best bet, I do enjoy Frankie and Bennies, Chiquito’s etc but with regards to quality and surroundings I would prefer Ask.

Check out their website for menu and restaurant locations.

Naively thinking that Oran Mor was simply a pub restaurant I was quite surprised to discover that the beautiful Church situated in the very popular Byres Road area actually includes two bars, two restaurants, a nightclub and a private function room; which on our visit was hosting a University Ball.

The bar restaurant areas was beautiful, retaining many of the original features of the church and using furniture that maintains the rustic feel of the area that is further supported by the traditional Scottish music playing in the background. Although this portrays a some what old fashioned image of the location this is a fashionable pub, that, by the humungous inflatable Corona bottle at its entrance, I am positive attracts a young crowd.

The menu had all the classic pub foods; burger and chips, steak pie etc… all reasonably priced. The food itself was good, the burger I ordered I don’t believe was freshly prepared and tasted the same as every burger you get in these pub restaurants across the country which was a bit disappointing. Although the chips that came with the burger were good the accompanying salad was a pathetic offering consisting of a mere two limp leaves of lettuce.

Although my visit to Oran Mor wasn’t perfect I had only ended up eating by accident, having visited with the original intention to have a few drinks in the last hours of the day, therefore my sole intention wasn’t to eat. I would definitely return for a drink as it had a brilliant atmosphere, I would also like to check out what else the venue has to offer; the Concert, A Cocktail and A Canapé nights sounds right up my street; and the Play, Pie and Pint sounds like the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. So, as a pub I would say two thumbs up, but as a restaurant I am undecided… another visit is already being arranged.